Lexington Hearth Mantels — Authorized Dealer & Installation on Chicago’s North Shore

Name: Chimney Monkey
Price range: $$

Chimney Monkey is an authorized Lexington Hearth dealer serving Chicago’s North Shore, including Winnetka, Deerfield, Northbrook and Highland Park. Lexington Hearth handcrafts non-combustible and wood fireplace mantels in Kentucky — the non-combustible beams solve the clearance problem that keeps real wood off most modern fireplaces. Call 847-994-4388.

Get in touch Call 847-994-4388

Lexington Hearth Smokehouse non-combustible mantel above a linear fireplace — Photo courtesy of Lexington Hearth.

Why we love Lexington Hearth

The clearance problem, solved without giving up the look

Here is the mantel conversation we have most often: a homeowner wants a chunky reclaimed-wood beam over the fireplace, and the fireplace’s listed clearances say no. Every gas and wood appliance has a required distance to combustible material, and a real timber four inches above the opening usually violates it — which is how mantels end up scorched, or installs end up failing inspection.

Lexington Hearth’s non-combustible beams are the honest way out. They’re hand-finished to read as antique timber — grain, checking, saw marks — but they’re certified non-combustible, so they can sit where wood legally can’t. You get the beam the room wanted, and we get an installation we can stand behind on paper.

Hand-finished in Kentucky, not printed

Handcrafted in the Bluegrass and made in the USA. The finishes are done by hand, which is why the beams don’t have the repeating-pattern tell that gives away most faux wood. They also color-match to a sample — paint, stain, flooring, tile — so the mantel can match the floor it lives above.

Real wood, when real wood is right

Where clearances allow it, their Commonwealth Collection is classic solid-wood work. We’ll tell you plainly which side of the clearance line your fireplace sits on, and it costs you nothing to find out before ordering.

Made to order without the custom wait

Made-to-order mantels run a 3–5 day production turnaround, with bestsellers shipping in a day or two. Length and finish are customizable. For a renovation on a schedule, that’s the difference between the mantel making the punch list and holding it up.

What Lexington Hearth makes

Collection	What it is
Bluegrass Collection	Non-combustible mantels in rustic, transitional and modern styles — including the Smokehouse Mantel
Architect Series	Non-combustible mantels with clean profiles and refined proportions
Commonwealth Collection	Classic solid-wood mantels
Formats	Mantel shelves and full surrounds
Customization	Length and finish customizable; custom color matching from a sample; depth and profile fixed by mold
Origin	Handcrafted in Lexington, Kentucky — made in the USA

Lexington Hearth is the right call when…

You want a wood-beam mantel and your fireplace’s clearances say you can’t have one
You’re installing a linear gas fireplace and want warmth over the top of all that glass and steel
The TV is going above the fireplace and heat at the wall is a concern
You want the mantel to match a floor, a stain, or a tile you already have
The renovation is on a schedule and a long custom lead time doesn’t fit
You want solid wood where clearances genuinely allow it

A mantel is usually the finishing move on a bigger project — see our fireplace mantel installation service, or the rest of the brands we love.

Installing a mantel on the North Shore

Clearances come first. Before any mantel is ordered, we check the appliance’s listed clearances against the design — the height above the opening, the projection off the wall, and what the manufacturer’s manual actually permits. A non-combustible Lexington Hearth beam widens what’s possible; it doesn’t make the check unnecessary. We do the check either way.

Mounting is structural. A beam mantel is heavy, and it hangs where people put stockings, candles, and the occasional elbow. We anchor into structure — not drywall — with the hardware the mantel and the wall actually call for.

The wall behind matters. On masonry chimneys we’re often anchoring into brick or stone and dealing with surfaces that aren’t flat or plumb; our masons handle that as part of the install. On framed chases, we find the studs and verify what’s behind them before drilling.

TV above the fireplace? We’ll tell you what the heat at that height actually looks like for your specific fireplace, and whether a deeper mantel shelf or a different mounting height solves it. It’s a five-minute conversation that prevents a cooked television.

Color matching works best early. If you want the mantel matched to flooring or stain, we coordinate the sample with Lexington Hearth before production — not after the beam arrives.

What Chimney Monkey does on a mantel project

Clearance verification against the appliance listing · mantel selection and sizing · finish and color-match coordination with Lexington Hearth · structural mounting into masonry or framing · surround and hearth masonry where the project calls for it · and, because we’re the same company that inspects and sweeps the chimney, the mantel goes on a fireplace we’ve actually looked at.

Chimney Monkey has served Chicago’s North Shore from Buffalo Grove since 2017, with masons, inspectors, and researchers on staff and more than 1,100 Google reviews.

Common questions

Is Chimney Monkey an authorized Lexington Hearth dealer?

Yes. Chimney Monkey is an authorized Lexington Hearth dealer for Chicago’s North Shore. We help you select and size the mantel, coordinate finish and color matching, and install it — in Winnetka, Deerfield, Northbrook, Highland Park, Glenview, and the surrounding towns.

What is a non-combustible mantel?

A mantel cast from certified non-combustible material and hand-finished to look like wood. Because it doesn’t burn, it can be installed closer to a fireplace opening than solid timber — which is what makes the chunky-beam look possible over many modern gas fireplaces where a real beam would violate the appliance’s listed clearances.

Can I put a wood mantel above my fireplace?

Sometimes. It depends on your specific appliance’s listed clearances — the required distances from the opening to any combustible material. We check the listing before recommending either way. Where wood fits, Lexington Hearth’s Commonwealth Collection is solid-wood work; where it doesn’t, their non-combustible beams carry the same look without the restriction.

Can the mantel be matched to my floor or trim?

Yes. Lexington Hearth offers custom color matching from a physical sample — paint, stain, flooring, or tile. We coordinate the sample before production so the match is confirmed before the mantel is made.

How long does a Lexington Hearth mantel take?

Made-to-order mantels run about a 3–5 day production turnaround, with bestselling models shipping in one to two days, plus transit and installation scheduling. As hearth products go, that is unusually fast — a mantel rarely needs to hold up a renovation.

Do you install mantels you didn’t sell?

Yes. We install customer-supplied mantels as part of our mantel installation service, with the same clearance check and structural mounting. If a supplied mantel can’t legally go where you want it, we’ll tell you before we drill.

Lexington Hearth mantels across Chicago’s North Shore

Winnetka · Deerfield · Northbrook · Highland Park · Glenview · Lake Forest · Wilmette · Glencoe · Evanston · Buffalo Grove · Skokie · Lake Bluff · Highwood